The L.S. Group British Columbia’s First Land Surveyors

Before the passage of the Land Surveyors Act of 1891, about 150 land surveyors practiced in British Columbia. The L.S. Group British Columbia’s First Land Surveyors presents us with biographies of 142 of those pioneer surveyors.

Surveyors such as Trutch, Dewdney, Pemberton or Moberly found their way into the history books, but there are scores of surveyors about whom little was known before this publication. These land surveyors lived and worked in the formative years of British Columbia. Some of their work was exploratory, but mostly their assignments were related to the demands of the growing number of settlers, industry, government and the railroads.

The book is richly illustrated with photographs and drawings, mainly from the British Columbia Archives, including images of historic survey instruments. This rich collection of biographies and minutiae not only makes for an interesting read, it also provides a fascinating glimpse at the formative period of the province of British Columbia and at the lives of individuals caught up in and actively contributing to the making of a new society.

Review by Fred Braches as published in Heritage BC Quarterly Summer 2008.

“The L.S. Group British Columbia’s First Land Surveyors” may be ordered direct from the ABCLS office. It is soft cover, 386 pages, $30.00 (includes tax & shipping).

Made to Measure

The ABCLS Foundation is pleased to announce the publication of the 2005 Legacy Book, Made to Measure, written by Katherine Gordon.  This book was developed to celebrate 100 years of land surveying in British Columbia and was made possible by the generous donations of BC Land Surveyors.

“Land surveyors have played a fundamental role in the unique settlement history of British Columbia. The story of their work is awe-inspiring.Less than 150 years ago, the province, this rough and beautiful child of imperial ambition’s was largely a vast wilderness, occupied by societies without written maps. Within a few years, that would change forever. Men from London and Victoria made their way along trails and up waterways, observing the stars, setting their compasses, and drawing the lines that would become roads and railways, international and provincial boundaries, towns and cities, farms and homes. Those invisible lines continue to form the backbone of British Columbia’seconomic and settlement structure.

This popular history tells the remarkable story of the men and women who surveyed the province. Using basic equipment, surveyors endured arduous work conditions. They witnessed the tragedy of colonial impact on aboriginal peoples, protected the interests of prospectors, settlers, and entrepreneurs, pioneered aerial technologies in the mountains, and left their names on landmarks all over British Columbia. Made to Measure paints an engaging, vivid portrait of land surveyors and their influence on British Columbia, linked inextricably to both past and future settlement.”

“Made to Measure” may be ordered direct from the ABCLS office. It is hardback, 376 pages, $32.00 (includes tax). Shipping is extra. Please consider giving this book as a gift to your local high school library – it is a great resource for teachers and students. And how about your survey crews, what an ideal present for them!

For more information regarding this book, please read the book review.

Surveying Central British Columbia

Jay Sherwood’s second book on the adventures of Frank Swannell interweaves an engaging narrative with excerpts from the surveyor’s journals and a selection of his best photographs. Swannell’s skill with a camera shines through the pages of this book. His images capture the spirit of the land and its people, as well as the daily life of his surveying crew and their struggles to explore and map the expansive wilderness of central BC.”Surveying Central British Columbia” may be ordered direct from the ABCLS office. It is soft cover, 184 pages, $42.00 (includes tax). Shipping is extra.

Surveying Northern British Columbia

Surveying Northern British Columbia, written by Jay Sherwood, is a photojournal about one of British Columbia’s most well known pioneer surveyors. From 1908 to 1914 Frank Swannell surveyed a large area of northern British Columbia for the provincial government. Even more important for the history of this province, he took a camera with him and recorded the history of the area. Swannell’s surveys took him to remote areas that few people visited. His photographs include the First Nations people of the area, Hudson’s Bay posts, a variety of transportation, many famous people of the region, and the daily life of his surveying crew. These pictures are an outstanding photographic record of life in northern British Columbia during the early 20th century. Swannell took over 1,100 photographs during these seven years, and about 150 are included in the book. The text is based largely on the field journals that he kept.

The BCLS provided funding for producing the photographs and the copyright publication costs from the BC Archives as part of its centennial. Surveying Northern British Columbia is published by Caitlin Press (www.caitlin-press.com), It is also available through Harbour Press or Chapters bookstores. Caitlin Press is offering a 20% discount to BCLS members if the book is ordered from them.

Book Review

	David Thompson – “An Adventure of a Lifetime”Book Review